Perfection
by Oo-Rainpath-oO
Summary: Sequel to Flaw. Rainpath and Swifttail have received their warrior names after returning from the journey, and they hear a new rumor in the Gathering. As things become more elaborated, they are swept into one's mind, and memories are revealed... R&R!
1. Allegiances

**Yay! I'm just finished with Flaw, and I'm up for it. This is the allegiances of _Perfection_. As I looked back at the allegiances of _Flaw, _I realized some things: I killed off many warriors from WindClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan, and didn't kill off any from ThunderClan, and instead added more! Ridiculous me! Well then, I will do it! I killed off: Roseheart, Daisy (OH YEAH! *dances till midnight*), Sunstorm (made-up lamo tom.) Yeah. Let's say... a fox attacked them! And Foxcatcher didn't catch that fox, of course. How good of him. Anyways, I also made some warriors of Riv, Wind, and Shad. Clan come to life! WOOT! Like some apprentices finally got warrior names? Anyways, enjoy! The prologue is next!!**

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**ThunderClan**

**LEADER**

Firestar- handsome ginger tom with flame-colored pelt and bright green eyes

**MEDICINE CAT**

Leafpool- small light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes, white chest, and white paws

Jayfeather- gray tabby tom with blue eyes

**DEPUTY**

Brambleclaw- dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**WARRIORS**

Graystripe- long-haired gray tom with amber eyes

Sandstorm- pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

Brackenfur- golden brown tabby tom

Cloudtail- long-furred white tom with blue eyes

Brightheart- white she-cat with ginger patches

Dustpelt- dark brown tabby with amber eyes

Thornclaw- golden brown tabby tom

Spiderleg- long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

Sorreltail- tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes

Berrynose- cream-colored tom

Birchfall- light brown tabby tom

Cinderheart- gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Hazeltail- small gray and white she-cat

Lionblaze- golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Mousewhisker- gray-and-white tom

Poppyfrost- tortoiseshell she-cat

Lightningbrook- handsome ginger tabby tom with white streak from forehead down to nose, bright yellow eyes

Apprentice, Duskpaw

Millie- light gray tabby she-cat

Squirrelflight- dark ginger she-cat with green eyes and a bushy tail

Brookwing- silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes and white smudges on pelt

Gingerpatch- broad white tom with ginger patches and amber eyes

Lakespring- white tabby tom with blue eyes and cream paws

Apprentice, Lilypaw

Foxcatcher- reddish tabby tom

Icestorm- white she-cat with bright blue eyes

Toadskipper- black-and-white tom

Whitewing- pretty white she-cat with green eyes

Blossomheart- tortoiseshell she-cat with white patches and a brown stripe down back

Briarleaf- dark brown she-cat

Bumblestripe- pale gray tom with black stripes

Ivymoon- light brown tabby-and-white she-cat

Dovewing- fluffy gray she-cat with green eyes

**APPRENTICES**

Duskpaw- dusky brown tom with amber eyes

Skypaw- cream-and-white she-cat with blue eyes

Lilypaw- white tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

**ELDERS**

Longtail- pale tabby tom with black stripes; retired early due to failing sight

Mousefur- small dusky brown she-cat

**QUEENS**

Ferncloud- pale gray she-cat with darker flecks and pale green eyes

Glacestorm- beautiful white she-cat with bright blue eyes, mother to Gingerpatch's kits: Amberkit (white with ginger patches, amber eyes), Blazekit (pale ginger tom), Badgerkit (dark ginger tabby), and Jadekit (white with green eyes)

Apprentice, Skypaw (temporary mentor: Whitewing)

**RiverClan**

**LEADER**

Mistystar- gray she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice, Rainpaw

**MEDICINE CAT**

Mothwing- beautiful dappled golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Willowshine- light gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

**DEPUTY**

Reedwhisker- black tom

**WARRIORS**

Blackclaw- smoky-black tom

Voletooth- small brown tabby tom

Apprentice, Hummingpaw

Beechfur- light brown tom

Apprentice, Deerpaw

Dapplenose- mottled gray she-cat

Apprentice, Tumblepaw

Dawnflower- pale gray she-cat

Pouncetail- ginger-and-white tom

Apprentice, Snowpaw

Streamleaf- dark gray tom with green eyes

Apprentice, Frostpaw

Creampelt- cream-and-white tom with amber eyes

Apprentice, Dewpaw

Minnowpelt- dark gray she-cat

Maplewood- light-brown she-cat with warm brown eyes

Apprentice, Goldenpaw

Icewing- white she-cat with blue eyes

Mallowheart- light brown tabby tom

Duskfur- brown tabby she-cat

Mintfur- light gray tabby tom

**APPRENTICES**

Dewpaw- dark gray tabby tom with blue eyes and white flecks

Frostpaw- white she-cat with blue eyes

Deerpaw- tortoiseshell tom with amber eyes

Goldenpaw- pretty dappled golden brown tabby she-cat

Rainpaw- pretty blue-gray she-cat with brilliant blue eyes and white chest

Snowpaw- white tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Hummingpaw- tortoiseshell and white she-cat with green eyes

Tumblepaw- pale gray tom with amber eyes

**ELDERS**

Swallowtail- dark tabby she-cat

Stonestream- gray tom

**QUEENS**

Graymist- pale gray tabby she-cat

**WindClan**

**LEADER**

Onestar- brown tabby tom

**MEDICINE CAT**

Kestreltail- mottled gray tom

**DEPUTY**

Ashfoot- gray she-cat

**WARRIORS**

Crowfeather- smoky gray, almost black tom with blue eyes

Nightcloud- black she-cat

Breezepelt- black tom with amber eyes

Apprentice, Branchpaw

Heathertail- light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice, Tailpaw

Whitetail- small white she-cat

Weaselfur- ginger tom with white paws

Owlwhisker- light brown tabby tom

Apprentice, Rabbitpaw

Harespring- brown-and-white tom

Apprentice, Otterpaw

Gorsetail- very pale gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes

Thistletail- long-haired white tom

Swallowwing- dark gray she-cat

Antpelt- brown tom with one black ear

Emberfoot- gray tom with two dark paws

Sunshine- tortoiseshell she-cat with large white mark on her forehead

Moonstream- beautiful silver tabby she-cat with pale blue eyes

Sedgeheart- light brown tabby she-cat

**APPRENTICES**

Branchpaw- small dark brown tabby tom with copper eyes

Tailpaw- gray she-cat with enormous amber eyes, white front paws, long white tail

Otterpaw- dark brown tabby tom, blue eyes

Rabbitpaw- light brown-and-white she-cat, amber eyes, black splotches

Earthpaw- dark brown tom, green eyes

Palepaw- very pale light gray she-cat with pale blue eyes

Minipaw- very small light brown-and-white tom with gray flecks on pelt

**ELDERS**

Webfoot- dark gray tabby tom

Tornear- tabby tom

**QUEENS**

Featherflight- light gray tabby she-cat with leathery pelt

**ShadowClan**

**LEADER**

Russetstar- dark ginger she-cat

**MEDICINE CAT**

Littlecloud- very small brown tabby tom with light blue eyes

Apprentice, Flamepelt (ginger tom)

**DEPUTY**

Tawnypelt- tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**WARRIORS**

Oakfur- small brown tom

Smokefoot- black tom

Snowbird- pure white she-cat

Apprentice, Thrushpaw

Rowanclaw- ginger tom

Toadfoot- dark brown tom

Apprentice, Sparrowpaw

Shadeclaw- pale gray tom with white chest and black paws

Apprentice, Swamppaw

Owlfur- light brown tabby tom

Murkheart- black she-cat

Whitewater- white she-cat with long fur, blind in one eye

Darkpool- mottled dark gray she-cat

Apprentice, Swiftpaw

Tigerheart- dark brown tabby tom

Apprentice, Frogpaw

Dawnpool- cream-furred she-cat

Apprentice, Starlingpaw

Kinkfur- tabby she-cat, with long fur that sticks out at all angles

**APPRENTICES**

Frogpaw- white tom with light brown paws, green eyes

Swiftpaw- swift ginger she-cat with white patches, amber eyes, white tail

Starlingpaw- small black-and-white tom, green eyes, gray splotches

Swamppaw- black tom with green-blue eyes

Thrushpaw- small silvery she-cat with green eyes

Sparrowpaw- black, white, and tortoiseshell tom, amber eyes

**ELDERS **

Cedarheart- dark gray tom

Tallpoppy- long-legged light brown tabby she-cat

**QUEENS**

Ivytail- black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat

**Cats Outside the Clans**

Poppy- very light brown tabby she-cat with green eyes; Starry's mate

Starry- ginger tabby tom with white paws, chest, and tail-tip, yellow eyes; Poppy's mate

Rose- tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes and white paws

Lavender- gray tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes and white chest

Tansy- light brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes and white tail-tip

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**Tada? That's the allegiances of _Perfection_! On with it!!**


	2. Prologue

**Yup! Here it is, the prologue. In here you will figure out the obvious...**

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**Prologue**

Horror crept inside the white she-cat's body. Was she really going to do this? She glanced down at her two small, mewling kits. Her two kits, a ginger she-kit with white patches and a blue-gray she-kit with a white chest were sitting by her belly, sleeping quietly. How much pain would these kits have to endure because of the choice she'd make? _No, _she told herself desperately. _Whitewing, if you don't give away these kits, they'd die! _Whitewing scolded herself angrily. She decided. She'd follow the warning Ashfur gave out… she was going to give away her kits. They would never know about their heritage, and would never know they were sisters. Although Whitewing felt bad that she had to do so, she knew she _had _to, or else her kits would die. She was _not _going to let her kits die.

She carried her tiny kits up by their scruffs, and padded out of the nursery. ThunderClan would not need her kits. They were destined for something else, and even if it meant to give them away, she would ensure their safety. She decided to give the ginger-and-white she-kit to ShadowClan. This little kit would grow up into a strong, aggressive warrior; Whitewing stared at her older kit. Then she turned her bright green eyes onto her gray kit. With that sleek, blue-gray pelt of hers, she'd be better off in RiverClan, where she had higher odds of being accepted, now that Mistystar was leader. Anyways, if she gave both of them near the borders they shared to ShadowClan and WindClan, ThunderClan would be suspected. Putting the gray-blue kit near the stream of RiverClan would be a good idea. It was near Mistystar's den, and she'd surely take in her kit.

Her thoughts swirled around her head as she stepped out of ThunderClan camp, and headed toward the ShadowClan border. She prayed to StarClan that ShadowClan and RiverClan would both notice her kits. _I must stay strong, _Whitewing thought desperately. She knew she couldn't, though. _Why is giving them away the only way to let them survive? _It was a cold leaf-bare, and snowflakes drifted onto Whitewing's nose. She quickly shook it off, not wanting to sneeze or shiver. It was then that she noticed her kits were covered with snow. Licking them swiftly, she silently hoped that they wouldn't freeze to death as she traveled to their future Clans. _Birchfall, _she thought of her mate. They had discussed this together when Whitewing received the horrific dream. He had agreed they should do so, but even so, Whitewing couldn't make up her mind.

Finally, she reached border ThunderClan shared with ShadowClan, and placed her small kit on the ShadowClan side. The ginger kit mewled wildly, but wasn't able to move because she hadn't learned to walk or crawl yet. Whitewing groomed her for the final time— _Which would probably be the last time ever_, she thought bitterly— and walked away, leaving the tiny kitten mewling and wailing. She glanced lovingly down at the gray kit she was carrying. Her second kit. Both kits were only one moon old, and in the eye of ThunderClan, would be dead. What would she say to ThunderClan? _That I woke up finding my kits gone, _she thought. It was near the time her kits started to walk, anyways. She made sure her pawsteps were soft and stealthy, as she was passing through ShadowClan territory. Luckily, no ShadowClan cats heard her, and she reached the RiverClan border.

Without hesitating, she dove forward lightly, and raced through the snow, placing each pawstep carefully as she ran. Soon, she reached the stream. She glanced down at her young little kit, dangled in her jaws, eyes not yet open. A wave of sadness hit her as she realized her kits would never know her. It was the worst thing a queen could endure. Maybe, even at a Gathering, her own kit could snarl at her. She hoped not. Whitewing wished she didn't have to do this at that very moment. Her kits would never know of their own mother, and would probably think her of a cruel character, leaving them behind. _It's not like that! _Whitewing yowled silently. _It's for your sake, kits, please understand that! _She mouthed the words at the gray kit, who didn't even look up. Gripped with sorrow, the white queen placed the kit down near the stream, and gave her the final licks. The small kit glanced at her direction, and mewled joyfully.

In that instant, Whitewing felt her heart break. She _felt _it. A ripple of pain ripped through her chest like sharp claws. Tears streamed out of her eyes as she walked away, hearing her young little kit mewling in pain, turning her head around to search for her mother. Why did she have to do this? Even if doing this was saving her kits, it felt like it was killing herself. _Oh, StarClan, _she wailed. _Why do you have to do this to me? Why me? _Her steps were hesitant but quick, and she soon reached the border where she placed her first kit. She wasn't there. _A cat must've brought her in! _she thought happily. She sniffed twice, and recognized the scent of the other cat as Darkpool. The mottled dark gray she-cat was a loyal warrior, and Whitewing was glad it was she who had taken her kit in.

***

"These are the warriors going to tonight's Gathering," Firestar announced as he stood on the Highledge. Whitewing felt something grip onto her heart as she glanced up at the flame-colored tom hopefully. "Graystripe, Millie, Squirrelflight, Spiderleg, Birchfall, Brightheart, Lightningbrook, Lilypaw, Duskpaw, Lakespring, Skypaw, and… Whitewing," he finished. Her eyes lit up immediately, and as the other cats stared at her, she realized her fur had fluffed up with joy. She quickly flushed and darkened. Finally, she was going to a Gathering. It had been so many moons and Firestar always happened to not choose her to go to the Gathering. She was desperate to see her kits. _I'm sorry, _she thought as she stared up at the sky. The full moon was bright. _Kits, I'm really sorry for abandoning you… Please forgive me. _Those were her last thoughts as she walked away with Skypaw to the Gathering.

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**Aw. I can't imagine what Whitewing had been through to have to give up her kits! I'm evil for making her have to face that. :3 I don't expect much reviews yet, since I just started this. But COBY!! I LUBB YOU FOR REVIEWING! You get a Whitewing plushie for reviewing first!**

**~Rainy**


	3. Chapter 1

**This starts off from the end of the Epilogue of Flaw. Yay, Rainpaw's back! Just a small note. In the prologue, it starrs when Rainkit and Swiftkit were given away and thoughts the mother had. Yeah, Rainpaw's finally back! Yippee!! Now it's time to set things up! Again, thanks to Coby, my only reviewer so far. C'mon, people! Please review Perfection as much as you reviewed Flaw! Oh wells. I just started, so yeah...**

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**Chapter 1**

Rainpaw's bright blue eyes gleamed happily as she landed in front of Dewpaw. "I'm back!" she mewed loudly, bliss contained in her voice. The hunting patrol stared at her for several heartbeats, but the silence was broken by Dewpaw. "Rainpaw, you're back!" He smiled widely, and Rainpaw felt her own heart beat faster at the sight of her friend. The first thing she noticed was that the tabby apprentice had grown larger. Now, he was bigger than Rainpaw. Before she left, he was still the smallest apprentice inside the den! Creampelt smiled at his apprentice and exclaimed, "We must report this to Mistystar!" Rainpaw placed the moonleaves she had been carrying in front of Dapplenose's paws.

"These are the herbs I collected during the journey," she explained. When moons ago, Mothwing received a prophecy, the medicine cats realized that Rainpaw was in the center of it. Then, Rainpaw and Swiftpaw of ShadowClan met a loner named Starry, who knew of the prophecy and brought them on a journey to a beautiful, star-dappled cliff. In the Starlight Cliff, the cats slept at the top of it, and learned secrets from StarClan— secrets about the prophecy, and their heritage— including the fact that Swiftpaw was her sister. Mistystar had told the Clan that StarClan sent her on a journey to find a special type of herbs, and so since the Clan thought so, Rainpaw had to bring a batch of these "moonleaves" back to RiverClan. Only a few cats Rainpaw trusted to tell them about the true reason of her journey— to find the fragments of the prophecy. Dapplenose picked up the bright green leaves speckled with white, and they slowly trotted back to camp.

Dewpaw pressed close to her side, and Rainpaw felt awkwardly warm. "I'm so glad you're back," he whispered with joy. She nodded back, and they stepped into the camp entrance. All the apprentices raced to them, looks of disbelief and ecstasy printed on their faces. Deerpaw exclaimed, "You're back!" Goldenpaw kept asking questions about the journey, Frostpaw licked her fur flat like a mother, Hummingpaw and Tumblepaw pounced on her happily, and Snowpaw embraced her strongly with elation. Mistystar padded out of her den and took a look at the crowd of apprentices. She rushed to the entrance, and nuzzled Rainpaw affectionately.

"How was it, Rainpaw?" she asked delightfully, and Rainpaw dipped her head in return. "It was great!" she meowed. "I learned many things I never knew before, and did lots of fighting and hunting, too!" Goldenpaw's lip curled at the mention of fighting, and mewed, "Really? Oh, Rainpaw, _please _tell us!" The RiverClan leader turned to the apprentices and coed, "Now, let Rainpaw rest first. She needs to get some sleep after such a long journey." Snowpaw crept beside the blue-gray apprentice and whispered, "I missed you so much!" Grinning, Rainpaw replied, "Me too!" The apprentices all entered the den, resting with Rainpaw, who felt as warm as ever. She was so glad to be back to her home.

For the rest of the day, the apprentices rested with Rainpaw, and she told the tale of her journey, starting from introducing her companions, to finding _Freedom_, to fighting Fury, and at last finding the moonleaves at the Starlight Cliff, which of course was a lie she had to choke out. Dewpaw was pressing his pelt against hers, and Rainpaw felt oddly happy. She slept well through the night, and had no dreams from StarClan, to her dismay, of course. But she was well and delighted that she was back in RiverClan, and deeply thanked StarClan for that. She was sleeping away in a wave of dreaminess, until a yowl sounded.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey come and gather beneath the Wetrock for a Clan meeting!" Mistystar's yowl flashed through the camp, and within a heartbeat, each cat was assembled by the damp rock their leader stepped on. "Deerpaw, please step forward." Rainpaw's eyes widened. It was a warrior ceremony. _But I'm probably not going to be made warrior… _She wanted to cry. By going on that journey, she missed so much training. She probably wasn't going to be made a warrior, and all her friends would become great warriors before her. Turning her head, she realized Deerpaw was just named Deerpelt, and chanted his name loudly along with the other apprentices.

Soon, Goldenpaw was called up and named Goldenheart. "Goldenheart! Goldenheart! Goldenheart!" Envy and joy swept through Rainpaw as she chanted her name. "Step forward, Frostpaw," Mistystar meowed. The white apprentice obeyed, and the leader mewed the traditional words, naming the white she-cat Frostfire. Although the name did not make much sense, Rainpaw thought it sounded good. Frostfire stepped backwards and beamed at the loud chants of the Clan. Mistystar then called Dewpaw to step forward. Soon her friend was named Dewshine. Rainpaw licked his cheek when he stepped back to the apprentices. Then Snowpaw was called forward. What? Even her best friend, who was apprenticed later than all of them, was becoming a warrior!

Her best friend was soon named Snowheart. Rainpaw dropped her head in shame. She was staying as an apprentice. "Rainpaw, please come forward." Her face lit up in an instant. _Am I going to become a warrior? _She glanced up at Mistystar wearily, who nodded encouragingly. Zealously, she walked forward and, her eyes gleaming, glanced at her beloved leader. Mistystar began, "We all know this apprentice had gone on a journey, and missed many training. But I believe, as she traveled through the depths of the world even the oldest leader has never seen of, she learned more than the wisest warrior would ever learn. So now I give her… her warrior name."

Rainpaw stared at her leader, her blue eyes glittering with joy. "I, Mistystar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Rainpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" The words echoed inside Rainpaw's head as she tensed valiantly. "I do." Her voice came out strong and bold, making Rainpaw twice as confident. Mistystar blinked once, and meowed, "Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Rainpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Rainpath. StarClan honors the special paths you have taken to find truth for the Clan," all the cats of RiverClan cocked their heads in confusion, but Rainpath knew exactly what it meant. Mistystar continued: "We welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan." She rested her muzzle on Rainpath's head, and Rainpath could feel her own mirrored excitement vibrate along with her mentor's. She licked Mistystar's shoulder with respect, and the Clan began to chant loudly. "Rainpath! Rainpath! Rainpath!" Rainpath felt so happy and safe. She was a warrior now.

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**Yay! Rainpath is finally a warrior! I've been waiting for that moment SO long! You bet. Anyways, what of Swiftpaw then? Watch out for the next chapter!**

**~Rainy**


	4. Chapter 2

**Swiftpaw is back! Or should I say Swifttail...**

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**Chapter 2**

Swifttail glanced proudly at Starlingfeather and Frogfoot, feeling as happy as ever. The young warriors sat vigil and guarded the camp smugly. She just returned from a long journey, and when she returned, she was treated kindly and welcomed warmly. Then, Russetstar surprisingly held the three apprentices' warrior ceremonies. How jealous Thrushpaw, Swamppaw, and Sparrowpaw were! Swifttail had to stop herself from laughing at the envious look on the three younger apprentices' faces. She was now a warrior, and felt a wave of delight flush through her when the Clan chanted her warrior name. And how proud Darkpool was of her! Although the three warriors had to stay awake all night, it seemed to pass within a few heartbeats, because the next thing she knew, the sun had rose and Tawnypelt had approached them to greet them and assign them to patrols.

"We're already going on patrols?" Frogfoot complained drowsily. Tawnypelt laughed and mewed, "Why, you don't want your first patrol as a warrior to come as soon as it can?" Hearing the deputy's words, Swifttail's deep amber eyes quickly lit up and she meowed, "Don't mind him, _please _let me go on a patrol!" Starlingfeather grinned and exclaimed, "Me too!" Smiling, the tortoiseshell deputy replied, "Don't worry, you two may go on a patrol. And sleepy old Frogfoot can just go snore away in the warrior's den if he wants." Frogfoot quickly protested, "No, I'm going!" The green-eyed she-cat laughed and told him, "Of course. Well, the dawn patrol consists of you three, Shadeclaw, and Swamppaw." Swifttail silently cursed at the mention of Shadeclaw's name. The gray warrior had been a pain for many cats, as he was murderous and bloody.

Swiftly, she flashed Tawnypelt a smile and meowed, "Thanks." She secretly added, _I guess. _A pale gray tom with black paws and a white chest loomed to them, his amber eyes gleaming. The black tom beside him flatly followed, and Shadeclaw asked, "Are you ready yet? I've been waiting all morning." He sniffed rudely, and Swifttail rolled her eyes along with Frogfoot. Shadeclaw, however, did not seem to notice. Starlingfeather mewed good-naturedly, "We're ready." The group headed toward the RiverClan patrol, which, as fate brought Swifttail, was the border she had _ever _patrolled before. She somehow was always assigned to it. She also hoped she'd see Rainpaw, and brag about her warrior name. _I hope so, _she thought.

They reached the border, and Swifttail began to set it. Suddenly, she heard a whisper by her side. "Hey, Swiftpaw." Swifttail rolled her eyes at the sight of the blue-gray RiverClan cat. "It's Swift_tail_," she murmured back. "So how are you, Rain_paw_?" Rainpaw rolled her eyes and replied, "I'm Rain_path_ now, mind you." They both set the markers, staring at each other. Even though they were sisters, when they were one moon old, their mother gave them away to different Clans. Swifttail never knew that until Rainpath told her at the Starlight Cliff, after the gray she-cat was informed of by StarClan. Wordless, they both returned to their own patrols.

"RiverClan," Shadeclaw snarled ferociously. "What do you think you are doing here?" Rainpath glared icily at him, and replied, "Setting our border markers, I suppose?" Shadeclaw froze at Rainpath's strong comeback. Swifttail had to grin. Her sister was that good at retorts. She stared ahead at the RiverClan patrol: Rainpath, Dapplenose, and Tumblepaw. The ambitious warrior beside Swifttail hissed, "You're not getting away with this." Swifttail knew her sister had heard Shadeclaw's words, but pretended to not hear him. Silently, she snickered at the battle Rainpath had already won against Shadeclaw.

Starlingfeather nudged Shadeclaw and insisted, "Come on, let's go back to camp." Shadeclaw whipped around a shot a frosty glare at Swifttail's best friend, and Swifttail growled defensively, "I know we're young warriors, but this isn't something worth fighting over, Shadeclaw." The dark warrior shot her a glower, and then turned around without a word. They headed back to the camp in utter silence. Frogfoot, Starlingfeather, and Swifttail all shot each other uncertain glances. They definitely did not like Shadeclaw. He had ruined their first full day as warrior, and their first patrol as a warrior. Swamppaw, the lively apprentice of Shadeclaw, was silent as well. He disliked his mentor greatly, too. No cats in ShadowClan preferred to be with the violent tom. Although some cats pitied him because he lost both of his parents, he was still a pain to be with. Shrewstep had died giving birth to him, and Snaketail, his father died protecting him when a fox attacked the nursery.

"So, how was your first patrol as warriors?" Snowbird asked them softly, with Thrushpaw by her side. The small silvery apprentice flashed them a gleeful smile, showing that her training had gone well. The three let out a sigh and Frogfoot complained honestly, "Shadeclaw completely ruined it." Thrushpaw's smile faded along with her mentor's. Snowbird sighed in frustration. "That tom is just _always _like that! He'll never get a mate if he keeps acting so! How can he ruin such precious experiences of young warriors?" Swifttail rolled her eyes and Starlingfeather sighed heavily. Then Swifttail walked away after saying a swift good-bye to the white warrior. Inside the warriors den, Dawnpool introduced them to their nests, and Swifttail immediately snuggled into her nest made of ferns and moss.

Her best friend, Starlingfeather crept close to her. Swifttail didn't know why the black-and-white tom tried to get so close to her these days, but it was fine by her. She always felt warm by his side. _I wonder why the prophecy says Moonstream is evil instead of Shadeclaw, _she thought gruffly as yawned. Feeling the heartbeat of Starlingfeather beside her, she quietly trailed to sleep. She didn't receive any dreams from StarClan, only a boring one of trying to catch mice but always missing. When her eyes opened, she saw a familiar face of black, white, and gray.

"S-Swifttail, can you come out with me for a second?" Starlingfeather whispered shakily.

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**Hmm? What does Starlingfeather plan to tell her? Oh, I think you know. You'll see!! And Starlingfeather plushies to both Coby and Nightshimmer!! -hugs you both-**

**Great, let's wait for the next chapter now! I'll work hard...**

**~~Rainy**


	5. Chapter 3

**Now here's our co-plot. It's not the whole plot of the story, but it's a happening... Rainpath will soon realize some things!**

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**Chapter 3**

Rainpath heaved a sigh as she basked under the sunlight along with her best friend, Snowheart. The rocks under her were warm, dappled with the rays of the sun. Even though it was leaf-bare, the sun appeared today, and was warm and strong. The white tabby she-cat beside her cocked her head and meowed, "What's wrong, Rainpath?" The blue-gray warrior glanced at her friend. "Nothing," Rainpath mewed flatly. Snowheart rolled her eyes and shot back, "Stop trying to lie to me, Rainpath. I _know _something's wrong." Rolling her eyes, Rainpath replied, "Fine. It's just that Dewshine's been so weird lately," she sighed again.

"What do you mean?" Snowheart smiled, and then teased softly, "You worried about him?" Rainpath just shook her head. "No, he's just been acting quite… abnormal towards me recently. Like yesterday, he called me out to the half-bridge and kept stuttering. He ended up telling me nothing at all. And he's always trying to get close to me and be beside me all the time, ever since I returned from the journey." Amusement flickered inside Snowheart's bright frosted-blue eyes as Rainpath growled, "What are you staring at?" Looking at the gray she-cat like she was funny, Snowheart mewed, "You're blinder than ever, Rainpath!" She sniffed playfully through her giggles, and mewed, "Don't you even notice how much Dewshine likes you? No, _loves _you?"

Blue eyes met blue, but Rainpath turned away quickly. "You're lying, right?" Snowheart snickered. "Why should I lie about this?" Flushing, the blue-gray she-cat leaped away. _This is _so _weird! _She raced toward the Greenleaf Twolegplace, hoping she would see Swifttail, her sister there. Swifttail wasn't there. _Why can't she be here when I need her most? _Rainpath thought, frowning. "Hey, what's up," a voice sounded from behind her. She whipped around to see a ginger-and-white she-cat grinning at her. "Oh, Swifttail!" Rainpath cried out. "You don't know what I've been through!" Swifttail rolled her eyes. "Trust me, no matter what you've been through, I'm worst. That's why I came to find you." Rainpath gave her sister a lick on the ear, and then they both mewed in unison:

"I think a tom in my Clan loves me. And I think I love him back." They both gasped at the same time, and then burst into laughter. Gasping for air, Rainpath meowed through laughs, "Which tom loves you?" Swifttail's wide grin dropped into a solemn look. "It's Starlingfeather. He was supposed to tell me something today, but he chickened out and didn't even come to meet me. Frogfoot told me he loves me, but I don't believe him… sort of. Well then, who's _your _tom?" Rainpath flashed an annoyed glance at her sister and answered, "Dewshine. He's been acting odd lately, trying to get close to me. He brought me by the lake and began stuttering for forever, and I just walked away because he was taking eternity. Snowheart told me the same thing your Frogfoot told me. Why are our situations the same?" Swifttail rolled her eyes. "StarClan knows. Well, at least _your _tom had the courage to meet you. Starlingfeather didn't even keep his promise of meeting me." She chuckled.

Both of them then mewed in the same time: "Toms are such mouse-brained chickens." They burst into laughter again, but quickly stopped because they were getting too loud. Smiling, Rainpath licked her sister's ear and mewed, "Thanks. I really, really felt much better after talking to you." Swifttail blinked at the sincerity in Rainpath's voice, and nodded. "I felt better, too. Thanks," after saying that, she gave Rainpath a lick on the cheek and they both said good-bye, and returned to their camps.

***

"Hi," Rainpath mewed when she approached Snowheart. Snowheart blinked at her sudden cheeriness, but just shrugged and replied, "Hey there." They basked together in the sun until Reedwhisker padded to them impatiently. "Are you two free? I think so. Rainpath, go on a hunting patrol with Dewshine. I suggest you go near the edge of the stream. Snowheart, go with Icewing, Dapplenose, and Tumblepaw for the evening patrol. You are dismissed." Rainpath rolled her eyes at the RiverClan deputy and entered the warrior's den. _Why did he have to put me with Dewshine? _She felt nervous around him now that Snowheart told her he loved her. It was weird.

She prodded the gray tabby's shoulders. "Dewshine," she meowed softly. Her heartbeat sped up when his bright blue eyes opened lightly. "We're going on a hunting patrol by the edge of the stream, near WindClan." Dewshine's eyes lit up immediately when he saw Rainpath, and he exclaimed, "O-okay! Let's go!" They padded out of the den and headed toward the stream. _I hope I can concentrate on hunting, _Rainpath thought. _I want to stop thinking of Dewshine… _Her heart thumped loudly, and she let out an irritated hiss. Dewshine cocked his head, and asked, "What's the problem?" Embarrassed, Rainpath stammered, "N-nothing." They reached the stream very soon, and Rainpath wildly dug her paws into the water. There was a splash, but when Rainpath's paw emerged, there were nothing on her claws.

"Having a bad day?" Dewshine asked, trying to act casual. Rainpath just narrowed her eyes and turned away. _He didn't even have the courage to tell me he loved me, _she sighed. She could tell Dewshine was trying to make up for the "stutter event". "I'm just going to stalk some mice," Rainpath told him, and walked away. _I'm not handling fish well today, _she thought. _I'm too distracted. Maybe mice will do. _She spotted one, quite plump for a mouse in leaf-bare. It was nibbling greedily on a dry heather leaf, searching for food. It took no notice of Rainpath. She dropped into a crouch, and slowly moved toward it. Then, she pounced for it, but when she leaped, her paw stepped onto a dried-up leaf, and the mouse scurried away. _Fox dung! _She sighed angrily. That mouse could've fed three apprentices, and she just wasted it! When they returned, Rainpath had managed to catch a water vole and a mouse, and Dewshine only caught two fish. The two both had a bad day of hunting. Rainpath wished she could take her mind off Dewshine. Apparently, Dewshine was the same. Angry at herself for doing so poorly, she wanted to bask in the sun, but it had already set. _Today really is my bad day,_ she thought, sighing again.

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**Aww, RainxDew! X3 Poor Rainpath, she had a bad day!! ^-^ I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! I'm going to do lots of writing today!!**

**~~Rainy**


	6. Chapter 4

**Tada! 3 chapters added in a day! Who can beat that? I think lots, I guess ;3 Still, I'm bringing many chapters to you within a day... enjoy! Swifttail is back wtih more surprises!**

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**Chapter 4**

Swifttail kept hidden in the shadows as a mouse scurried toward her direction. When it got close to her, she leaped and closed her claws around the small creature's body. _Yes! _Swifttail thought happily. She never was good with mice. It was her first mouse of the day. A voice sounded from behind her. "Good job," Murkheart purred. The ginger-and-white she-cat dipped her head at the black warrior. When Swifttail first came into ShadowClan, it was Murkheart who nursed her. "You're better at hiding in the shadows now," she continued. "Even with that ginger pelt of yours!" Swifttail smiled, and they both began to hunt again. The air was cold today, unlike the last day, when the sun was bright and the oxygen was warm. But it didn't matter, because ShadowClan was always in the shadows. They were always shaded by the tall pine trees in their territory.

All she ended up catching were one mouse and a lizard. _Oh, StarClan, _she thought. _Why can't I still take my mind off Starlingfeather? _As they padded back toward camp, Murkheart suddenly meowed, "You know, Starlingfeather really loves you." Swifttail nearly dropped her mouse. "E-excuse me, what did you say?" she quickly asked, flushing. The black she-cat flashed a solemn smile to her, and mewed, "Starlingfeather loves you a lot." Rolling her eyes, Swifttail shot back, "Why'd you say that?" Murkheart gazed intently into her amber eyes, and Swifttail realized how serious the situation was. _Oh, _she thought. _Why is all I can think about these days love? Why is _everything _love?_

"Because Frogfoot told me and the situation you and Starlingfeather are in is a lot like mine and Stripefur's when we first became warriors," Murkheart sighed, a sad gleam inside her usually-bright dark green eyes. Swifttail blinked twice, surprised by how bad she felt for Murkheart. What she saw next surprised her even more. She wasn't padding alongside Murkheart anymore, heading back to the camp. She was already inside the camp, and saw the image of herself, Swiftkit at that time, staring at Murkheart with a look of concern as she wept. The elders were carrying the body of a pale gray tom with deep, thick black stripes and white stripes around his legs. There were burnt marks made by a monster's paws. It was Stripefur. His yellow eyes were closed, and Murkheart was bursting with tears. Swifttail heard voices: _I can't believe Stripefur died. He had promised me he would stay with me forever! Why did he have to die, especially when our kits our getting apprenticed soon? _Swifttail realized it was Murkheart's voice. Was she seeing her memory and thoughts when Stripefur died? But she wasn't just _seeing _this; she was _in _where the memory took place. She tried to comfort Murkheart along with herself when she was a kit, but instead her paw went right through Murkheart's body. She let out a scream of horror, but no cat in the clearing moved. They were still weeping, and Stripefur was still being buried… What was happening? She was inside Murkheart's memory, but no cat noticed her. She was invisible to them, yet she was _there _and— it was confusing her! She blinked, wanting to leave the sad memory immediately.

And she was back. She realized she was lying on the ground, and Murkheart was screaming. "Are you okay, Swifttail? W-what happened? You were screaming! And you weren't talking! Y-you collapsed!" Swifttail licked her paw and meowed, "I-I don't know what just happened. I just suddenly fainted— I'm sorry." Of course she was lying about fainting, but how could she explain it?_ 'Oh, sorry, Murkheart, but I just entered your head and saw your memory of Stripefur dying and I was invisible,' _Swifttail chuckled. _As if I'd say that. _She staggered upward, and thought, _So I blinked, and entered her memory, then blinked, and got out of her memory again? _The world was confusing. "Let's go back to camp," Swifttail suggested as Murkheart's dropped jaw quickly closed up.

"O-okay," Murkheart straightened her chest, recovering from the shock. They slowly trotted back to ShadowClan camp, and Swifttail placed her lizard and mouse on the fresh-kill pile. Swifttail quickly chose a frog to eat, and Murkheart sat beside her, with a mouse in her jaws. They placed their prey down and began to eat. "So what were we talking about before I— well, fainted?" The black she-cat stared at her and purred. "We were talking about Stripefur…" Her voice softened, and her eyes glinted sadly again. Swifttail tried her best not to blink, but she just had to after several heartbeats. Nothing happened. But how could it not? She was confused. It had happened, had it? She entered Murkheart's memory, and… A wave of pain flashed through her head, and she nearly spat out the frog she just consumed.

Her head aching, she told Murkheart, "S-sorry, I have to go now." Without waiting for a reply, she walked away to the warrior's den, leaving the black she-cat blinking with confusion. She snuggled into her nest, confused. _I don't know what's happening. StarClan never mentioned this to me! What _is _happening, anyway? _She felt crazed— something peculiar was really happening to her. _StarClan, talk to me, _she begged as she closed her eyes. _Please tell me what is going on! _However, StarClan did not seem to hear her call. All she dreamt of were odd things, and things she didn't want to confront. First, it was the face of Starlingfeather. Immediately, Swifttail flushed at the familiar, loving look on the tom's face. Then, the face switched into a mysterious white blur, and then a light brown, striped face. She was more confused than ever. And then, she dreamed that a huge mouse was chasing _her_. It was as if _she _were the prey, and it disgusted and frightened Swifttail. Swifttail woke up, panting, her heart beating extra fast. _How horrible of StarClan, _she thought, _for making me have those dreams. _

Shuddering, she exited the den, and let Tawnypelt put her into the dusk patrol with Tigerheart, Whitewater, Toadfoot, and Sparrowpaw. "Toadfoot is thinking about making me warrior soon," Sparrowpaw declared. Whitewater purred with amusement, and Toadfoot growled playfully, "If 'soon' means many, many moons later, then yes, I am thinking about doing that." Swifttail purred, "I'm sure you'll make a good warrior." Luckily, she was not put in a patrol with Starlingfeather or Shadeclaw, and all the tension she felt was gone the moment Whitewater, Tigerheart, Sparrowpaw, and Toadfoot began talking. "What do you think your warrior name would be?" Tigerheart asked Sparrowpaw. The tortoiseshell apprentice looked up thoughtfully. "Maybe the name Sparrowflight, because that's the name Swamppaw made up for me to play games when we were kits." Swifttail smiled, and they all reached the border. Perhaps her day wasn't so bad after all.

Whitewater sniffed twice. "I-I smell fox. Do others do, too?" Every cat nodded. "It's faint but fresh enough," Toadfoot's brown fur bristled. "A fox is inside ShadowClan territory!" Swifttail turned to face the dark brown warrior. "We must report this to Russetstar." Tigerheart backed off, and pointed his tail at what was in front of them. "Too late," he croaked. "It's too late. We'll have to fight. And it's not just one fox." Turning her gaze at where Tigerheart was pointing, Swifttail gasped. In front of them were two reddish-brown creatures with a pointed snout and black paws. Tigerheart was right. They had to fight.

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**Oh, no, cliffie! Let me tell you one thing: Rainpath's not gonna help them. Someone else shall... you make your guesses, I'll just keep writing. The next chapter will be another Swifttail one, since when we're in a tight situation like this, we can't just skip back to another cat, right? Fox! And there are TWO! Could Swifttail survive? What would happen? Well, make your predictions and review!!**

**~~Rainy**


	7. Chapter 5

**Hello, everybody! Me is back with excitement! This chapter shall be filled of FIGHT SCENES! Unfortunately, none of you have guessed who was going to come to the rescue! Here, a death will occur. But who cares, right? ^-^ I'm ebilll! Also, I just noticed an error in Flaw. I once said Graymist was Dewshine's mother, then I said Minnowpelt was. Well, the real mother's Graymist! Oh wells! REVIEW! R&R!**

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**Chapter 5**

Blood dripped down from the scratch on her pelt steadily, and Swifttail staggered up word and pounced at the fox ferociously, letting the drops of blood flail through the air. She fastened her claws on the back of the male fox, sinking her teeth into her throat, holding on tight as it attempted to shake her off violently. No matter how much the fox struggled, she held firm on top of it, and sank her teeth into its flesh. Swifttail felt warmness touch her teeth, and her mouth tasted blood. Quickly, she let go of the fox, letting it thrash its neck out of her teeth's grip. Scarlet blood flowed down from its neck, and it fell to the ground after a frail snarl. "That's one," she turned to face her Clanmates, trying to brighten up the mood. But she saw Tigerheart, Toadfoot, Sparrowpaw, and Whitewater struggling with the female fox. It was huge, even larger than the male one, with a brilliant dark ocher pelt, a black-tipped plumy tail and paws the size of a badger's. Its dark brown eyes glinted brightly as it locked its eyes on Swifttail. Instantly, Swifttail knew her fear scent had spread across to the fox's pointed snout.

"Be careful!" she called out to her Clanmates as the fox began to shake its body viciously, attempting to fling them off its back. Whitewater snarled at the fox and jumped off it. "Sparrowpaw, Tigerheart, Toadfoot! Get off the fox this instant!" Sparrowpaw and Tigerheart obeyed, but Toadfoot remained clinging onto the creature. "I'll try to get hold of it! You four kill it _quickly_!" The last word came out in a scream as he was shaken off the fox, thrown into a tree. The dark brown tom began to bleed, and Whitewater gasped. Swifttail shot the white warrior a glance, and growled, "Quick, Whitewater! You carry Toadfoot back to camp! We'll take care of this fox." She gave the red, filthy creature a loud snarl, in which it returned. Swifttail wrinkled her nose at the foul breath of the fox. It looked infuriated, as its mate's body was lying beside it. Sparrowpaw squealed in horror. "I hope Toadfoot's okay. I regret ever thinking him as a bad mentor," he wailed. Narrowing her eyes, Swifttail's white tail shot up, and she mewed, "Sparrowpaw, it's not the right time to worry. I've got a plan, and it'll work only if we're focused enough. Are you two ready?"

Tigerheart nodded, along with the tortoiseshell apprentice. "Okay," she began. "Here's the plan." She told them about the way she and Rainpath had slain Fury. Sparrowpaw dipped his head. "I am ready!" It was his job to bite the fox's neck, and Swifttail and Tigerheart would pounce on the fox and dig their claws deep into its fur, distracting the fox first. "Ready?" Tigerheart asked her, and Swifttail nodded. They counted: "Three, two… _one_!" Both of the warriors let out a battle cry and leaped onto the fox. Swifttail sank her claws deep into the fox's back, causing it to release an earsplitting caterwaul. As the fox continued to shriek, she yowled, "Sparrowpaw, _now_!" Nodding, the apprentice stealthily dove for the fox's neck without making a sound.

But the plan didn't work. As Sparrowpaw tried to bury his teeth deep into its neck, the fox screeched and shook its head sadistically. The black, white, and tortoiseshell tom got shaken off. Surprised, Swifttail and Tigerheart were shaken off as well. "I-I'm so sorry!" Sparrowpaw whimpered, his eyes watery. "Why am I so mouse-brained? I can't—" Swifttail's eyes widened as the fox turned to face the apprentice with an outraged expression. _"Sparrowpaw!" _She sprang swiftly to him, flicking her tail as she glared at the fox. Behind her, Sparrowpaw began to tremble like a kit. Swifttail closed her eyes to wait patiently for death…

"Stop!" a voice shrieked angrily. A blur of black, white, and gray leaped past Swifttail. _Starlingfeather! _Her heart lit up as she saw the tom slash his claws at the fox. Furiously, Starlingfeather gripped his claws on the fox's chest, and planted his teeth powerfully into its neck fur. Blood poured out of where Starlingfeather's teeth had fastened. He tore his fangs out of its neck, letting blood splash out of the wound. There was a scratch on his shoulders, but he didn't seem to care. "Are you okay?" he asked them urgently, his gaze softening. Still shocked, both Sparrowpaw and Swifttail nodded. Starlingfeather glared icily at the dead bodies of the fox. "Come on," he meowed. "Let's bury these two dead bodies first, then go back to camp."

Glancing at the black-and-white warrior, Swifttail demanded, "Why did you come?" She and Starlingfeather pushed the female fox's body into the hole they dug. Starlingfeather gazed affectionately into her eyes, and whispered, "I love you, Swifttail. I couldn't lose you after I chickened out last time. Then Tawnypelt was wondering why your patrol hadn't returned yet. I left immediately to find you. Oh, Swifttail… I really, really love you a lot, and I worried for you so much!" Flushing, Swifttail licked his ear lovingly, and replied, "I love you too. Thanks for saving us. I wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for you." She smiled warmly, and nuzzled him happily. After they finished burying the dead foxes, they walked slowly back to camp.

"I hope Toadfoot is okay," Sparrowpaw fretted for his mentor. Tigerheart murmured in agreement. "Yeah," Swifttail and Starlingfeather agreed. They finally reached the camp, only to be greeted by a watery-eyed Whitewater. Beside her stood Flamepelt and Littlecloud, the Clan medicine cats. "I'm sorry, Sparrowpaw," Littlecloud began. Flamepelt dropped his head as he continued. "We did all we could do for Toadfoot. Now all we can do is wish him a safe journey to StarClan." Sparrowpaw stared up at the medicine cat, and began to cry. Thrushpaw and Swamppaw walked out from the apprentice's den and stood beside their brother to comfort him. Grief gripped onto Swifttail's heart. Toadfoot had tried to help them all kill the fox, and did not give up. But now he was dead. _How could this be happening? _Her amber eyes were sad and grave.

Soon, the dark brown warrior was being buried, and Sparrowpaw's new mentor was Kinkfur. Feeling depressed, Swifttail leaned against Starlingfeather, who licked her head gently. She looked up at him and gave him another lick on the cheek. _Right, _she thought, brightening up. _I still have Starlingfeather by my side._

_

* * *

_

**How lubly of our dear sweet little Starlingfeather! Yeah, he came to the rescue! Can't believe you didn't think he'd come? This is how they get together! Thank the foxes for that! Just wondering if fox is plural. I'm not sure. Poor Sparrowpaw! Poor Toadfoot! I hope you're not screaming AWWW at the moment, cuz that would really freak your mom out. Still, HOW SWEET OF STARLINGFEATHER! Well, how about Rainpath and Dewshine's relationship? What will happen? Just wait and enjoy!!**

**~~Rainy**


	8. Chapter 6

**~~So... are we ready for some RainDewness?! You better be, or else...! x3 Nope, there won't be any fox for Rainpath. Luckily for her. But unfortunately for me!! I love writing fight scenes! *bats paws into air* Anyways, starting off with some she-cats talking, ending with a tinge of sweetness. :3 Enjoy! Read and review!!~~**

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**Chapter 6**

Rainpath, Goldenheart, Frostfire, and Snowheart settled together near a tall boulder. There was no sun today, but the air was still mild, neither warm, nor cold. The young she-cats had finished their warrior duties and had some free time to rest and talk together. Frostfire began, "This leaf-bare is quite warm." Grinning, Rainpath nodded and mewed, "Hopefully this leaf-bare, the stream won't freeze." Goldenheart's dappled auburn coat shimmered brightly, even when the sun was hidden by the clouds. "I still remember the leaf-bare when Mistystar found you, Rainpath," she meowed happily. "All the kits had lain on their bellies on the frozen stream, and it was slippery and slim. We had races on ice, and it was really fun." Rainpath laughed. "Yeah, that was one leaf-bare. You two, Dewshine, and Deerpelt were really good teachers for me and Snowheart."

"I miss those days," Snowheart stated. "I still can't believe we're really warriors now. I don't feel like one." Goldenheart dipped her head and replied, "Me neither." Glancing at the sky, Rainpath sighed. "Life is really quite different as a warrior." The other she-cats murmured in agreement. They spent most of their time hunting and viewing apprentices' training until night came. Soon, all of them went on patrols. Whatever Reedwhisker was up to, Rainpath didn't like it, because she was yet again assigned to a dusk patrol with _Dewshine_. Sighing, she thought grimly, _Reedwhisker better have a reason doing this to me. _The dark gray tabby tom she had been avoiding appeared, his bright blue eyes gleaming with hope.

Dewshine commenced, "Let's go on the patrol." His voice trailed off, and Rainpath nodded glumly. He led her to the ShadowClan border and they set the markers quickly. Rainpath wished Dewshine hadn't been trying to not see a patrol of ShadowClan. She wanted to see Swifttail so badly, even after their small talk. "Come on," Dewshine was mewing. "Let's go hunt." Narrowing her eyes, Rainpath challenged him, "This is a dusk patrol." A pleading glimmer was in Dewshine's eyes, and Rainpath quickly turned away. He shot back, "This won't take long. And we'd be helping the Clan. It's better to bring back some prey on the way so the Clan would have enough." She finally gave in. "Fine," she meowed. The tom's gaze immediately brightened up as he told her, "I know a place where there are lots of mice."

"Okay," Rainpath replied flatly. "Bring me there, then." Somehow, Dewshine beamed, and then led her into the trees. They reached an opening, and what Rainpath saw awed her. Above her, she could see each and every star in the sky, shimmering vividly above her. Although it was nowhere as amazing as the Starlight Cliff, it still awed her. She marveled over the clear Silverpelt, each star on it glinting silver with a glimpse of whitish-gold. "It's amazing, right?" she heard Dewshine whisper softly into her ears, his voice excited. Rainpath answered plainly, "I don't see any mice." She turned to look at Dewshine straight in the eye. He beamed. It was the first time she ever looked at him straightly ever since the "stutter event".

Laughing lightheartedly, he mewed, "I'm sorry for tricking you, Rainpath. This is my apology for the… stuttering thing, and…" Rainpath's lip curled. "And what?" Dewshine stared into her eyes affectionately, and meowed, "I really, really love you, Rainpath." Rainpath's jaw dropped. She quickly closed it and flushed. _I hadn't expected that, _she thought, embarrassed. The dark gray tom let out a happy laugh. Feeling as if every fur on her pelt was turning red, Rainpath rasped, "I-I… I l-love you, t-too…" Dewshine chuckled in amusement, and smiled. "That's more stutters than me!" He licked her ear happily, and Rainpath felt as if her heart had jumped right out of her chest. She couldn't explain the feeling, but she felt good.

"I'm bad at all this love stuff," she confessed truthfully. Dewshine laughed the laugh Rainpath liked best. "Me too," he grinned cheerfully. "Was this what you were planning to tell me when you stuttered?" Looking embarrassed, Dewshine admitted, "Yes. I couldn't bring myself to say it." Rainpath heard herself chuckling delightfully. She grinned back at the gray tabby tomcat. "Well, let's head back to camp now," Rainpath suggested. Time passed so quickly as they shared tongues, and it was already moonhigh. She heard Dewshine's belly rumble, and as she heard her own, she laughed and added, "And we have to catch some prey and bring it back, too. Or else we won't have an excuse for keeping so long. When we get back to camp, we'll eat." They both laughed as their bellies sent out another loud moan.

Rainpath caught two voles and two mice. It was a lot, and she realized how much she could catch when she was blissful. _I'm so glad to have Dewshine by my side now, _she suddenly thought. _I was avoiding him just today! _She purred in amusement. Dewshine cocked his head and asked, "What?" She replied, "Just thinking about some things." He nodded, and they reached the camp. Reedwhisker met them crossly by the entrance. "Where _were _you two?" Rainpath replied, "We thought we might catch some prey for the Clan, so we delayed. Although it's leaf-bare, we caught quite a lot." The two showed the deputy their prey, which were three voles, two mice, and two shrews. The black deputy blinked. "That _is _a lot. I'll forgive you, then. Go and place those in the fresh kill pile, and pick out something for yourselves," he added as he heard a groan of Dewshine's stomach. Dewshine dipped his head and mewed, "Thank you."

After Dewshine gave her an affectionate lick on the ear, she picked out a water vole and settled down to eat it. She turned her head and saw Snowheart, who met her gaze and grinned. Rainpath flushed, embarrassed. Dewshine nuzzled her and mewed, "You don't have to be embarrassed about this." Glancing back, Rainpath nodded reluctantly. "You're right," she purred. "I'm glad to have you by my side." The gray tabby tom let out a soft laugh. "Yes," he whirred. "Let's eat now. I'm starving!" They both smiled ecstatically as they swallowed their fresh-kill. Rainpath thought her water vole tasted sweeter than usual as she grinned merrily at Dewshine.

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**Aws, it's amazing what toms can do, eh? Starlingfeather used the savior way to earn Swifttail, and Dewshine used the beautiful-sight+confession way xD to Rainpath. Rainpath's all happy-dappy now! Wait for the next chapter!! Remember to review!**

**Love,**

**~~Rainy**


	9. Chapter 7

**You have probably been thinking that all those setting-up-future-mate stuff was boring. Well, the real plot is hereeeee! You shall learn more about Swifty! **

**Gathering! Finally, we will see Moonstream again? Well, read to find out! R&R! A big thanks if you're reviewing!**

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**Chapter 7**

A Gathering. Swifttail had to be excited, for she hadn't gone to a Gathering for ages. Starlingfeather pressed his pelt against hers, and she gladly licked him on the ear. Frogfoot didn't get to go to the Gathering because he had accidentally crossed the ThunderClan border once, and was accused. Russetstar was very upset at him, and Swifttail just _had _to smirk when she heard the news. They finally reached the log bridge, and Swifttail thought about her first Gathering. Darkpool had helped her cross the log bridge, and she had been so excited. Now, somehow, she felt more excited than she ever was. She was a warrior now. It was her first Gathering as a warrior. She couldn't believe it had only been about a moon since her return. So much had happened since.

She jumped onto the island energetically, and saw that WindClan, ThunderClan, and RiverClan were already there. Swifttail groaned. Why were they always last? She brightened up when she saw Rainpath. "Let me go meet some friends," she told Starlingfeather, who unwillingly let her go. Approaching her sister, she saw that a handsome dark gray tabby tom was pressing his pelt against hers, glancing at Rainpath lovingly. _So _that's _her tom, _she thought, smirking. She reached them, suppressing her giggles. "Excuse me; can I borrow Rainpath for the rest of this Gathering?" Swifttail asked the tom, grinning. The gray tabby tom flushed and nodded, then walked away.

"So _that's _Dewshine?" She snickered mockingly. Rolling her eyes, Rainpath shot back, "I also saw you with your Starlingfeather." They both chuckled. Quickly they got serious again, and Swifttail began: "We have to find Moonstream." Rainpath nodded, and they both scanned through the crowd of WindClan cats. There was so sight of the familiar beautiful silver tabby. Instead two ThunderClan apprentices padded to them, grinning. One was a cream-and-white she-cat with blue eyes, the other a dusky brown tom with amber eyes. "Hi," the creamy apprentice began cheerily. "I'm Skypaw of ThunderClan. This is Duskpaw, my brother," she meowed, flicking her tail at the tom. Duskpaw began, "We've noticed you two have been glancing at the WindClan cats." The siblings seemed to cooperate fully with each other. Rainpath's eyes flickered with amusement, and Swifttail grinned. "Yes," she told the two ThunderClan apprentices. "We were looking for a certain cat."

Skypaw nodded and asked, "Can that cat possibly be Moonstream?" Rainpath shot Swifttail a look of surprise in which she returned. _How do they know about her? _Swifttail thought inquiringly. Staring curiously at the apprentices, Rainpath questioned, "How do you know?" The young dusky brown tomcat grinned and meowed, "Well, we heard this rumor about her from two WindClan apprentices." Swifttail's amber eyes widened, and she questioned, "Who are they?" Hastily Skypaw replied, "Tailpaw and Otterpaw—" But before she could finish her sentence, the two warriors were off. Scanning the faces of the WindClan cats, they identified a dark brown tabby tom with blue eyes and a gray she-cat with huge amber eyes, white front paws, and a very long tail.

"Are you two Tailpaw and Otterpaw?" Otterpaw's fur bristled, but he replied, "Yes." Tailpaw grinned and meowed, "Hi! Do you want to know about the perfect warrior?" The word _perfect _echoed inside Swifttail's head. They were definitely the ones who talked about Moonstream. "Sure," Rainpath prompted. His fur flattening, Otterpaw mewed, "Well," he sniffed. "Have you ever heard of a certain WindClan silver tabby? She is beautiful, strong, brave, and _perfect_." Tailpaw shot him an annoyed glance. The dark tabby tom continued, ignoring Tailpaw's pleading amber eyes, "Her name is Moonstream." Swifttail narrowed her eyes. This tom admired the pretty warrior, and Tailpaw didn't like it.

Rolling her enormous eyes, Tailpaw meowed, "Well, she's really flawless. My mentor Heathertail had mentored her, and Moonstream as Moonpaw _never _made a mistake. She's kind, beautiful, strong, and brave. Not to say how good she is at fighting and hunting, too." Blue eyes gleaming, Otterpaw added, "My mentor Harespring told me that she fed the whole Clan during one leaf-bare." Tailpaw heaved a sigh as she narrowed her eyes at the daydreaming tom. Blinking, Swifttail thought carefully about their words. _But Moonstream _must _have a flaw somewhere… _"Is there anything weird about her, though?" The gray she-cat's amber gleam of her eyes reappeared.

"Yes," she answered eagerly. The tom, Otterpaw shot her a look and walked away. Tailpaw sighed. "I really like him, you know," she grumbled. "But he's just a blind mouse-brain." Rainpath quickly mewed, "Yes, he is. Well, what was it? What's weird about Moonstream?" Tailpaw's pair of deep amber stone eyes shone as she explained, "During the night of the moon eclipse each moon, she's always very weird. She wouldn't act like herself, and even her voice would hold a tougher edge, more like a tom. She would seem to be bigger all of a sudden, and would grow more aggressive. Then she'd be even stronger when she's fighting. Her pelt would get a little dark brown under the darkness, and her eyes would glitter amber instead of blue. Her claws would grow much, much longer, and somehow her underbelly would get a little pale white. When night ends, she's all the same again. It's really confusing and odd. Few cats notice, though."

Swifttail's eyes glinted. That was it. They were close to getting the answer… Smiling, Rainpath complimented, "That's really good observation, Tailpaw. Thank you for telling us." The WindClan apprentice shot them both curious expressions, but they quickly bolted away. Swifttail felt her sister's warmth as she pressed against her. "I made a theory," Rainpath whispered into her ears. Lifting one ear, Swifttail demanded, "Tell me." They didn't bother to listen as the leaders continued to share news about their Clan. Firestar was talking about prey in ThunderClan as the sisters chatted. "Remember what Crookedstar told me? _The tiger roars and the hawk swoops, and deep within the moon, evil is scattered. In the dark night, she will really lose control. The pelt of the tiger and the feather of the hawk will cover her fur. _Well, tiger and hawk. Who has dark brown fur, and are called tiger and hawk? Who has extremely long front claws? Moonstream's pelt was covered by the fur of tiger and hawk. That means…" Swifttail's eyes widened when she realized what her sister meant.

"Tigerstar and Hawkfrost," she managed to gasp out. Rainpath nodded and replied, "Exactly. And what Crookedstar probably meant by _dark night_, is the night without a moon. There must be a special dark night that is coming. We must stop tiger and hawk from taking over Moonstream. To do that, we must find…" Swifttail choked out, "We m-must find her flaw!" Her sister dipped her head and mewed, "I personally think we have to find a way to know more about her. Like learn about her past from her memories, for an instance." Swifttail's amber gaze narrowed in surprise. _Memories…_ She suddenly remembered about the time she saw Murkheart's memories. She didn't know how she did it, but she did it. Quickly, she told Rainpath about it.

Suddenly Russetstar's voice rang out. "Tonight's Gathering has ended." Starlingfeather brought Swifttail away, and she quickly gave a flick of her tail to her sister. _StarClan, please guide my paths, _Swifttail prayed as she stared into the sky. _I need answers tonight. _

_

* * *

**Dun dun dun...**_

**So, how was that? Now Rainy and Swifty have finally learned the _obvious_ answers of a prophecy, what will they do? How about Swifttail's odd power of entering memories? Let's hope she will... dream!!**

**Next chapter will be a special chapter. Swifttail is up again! She's so important in this story. In _Flaw_, Rainy was more important. So we gotta balance it up!!**

**~~Rainy**


	10. Chapter 8

**I said another Swifttail chapter, but it'll be 1/3 Swifttail, 2/3 Rainpath. Yes, how exciting! R&R please! Hugs and thanks to all my reviewers! ;D**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

"Swifttail," a sharp voice echoed inside her head. "Deep within yourself, you will find the answers." She recognized the voice as Blackstar, but Swifttail couldn't see him. It was all darkness, as if all she could see of the large white tom with jet-black paws was his feet. Blackness surrounded her. _Thank you, StarClan, _she thought earnestly. "B-Blackstar?" she stammered, looking around now. StarClan _did _come to give her guidance— but where _was _Blackstar? His voice vibrated into her ears slowly. "StarClan never knew either when you and Rainpath visited…" Swifttail immediately knew that the former ShadowClan leader meant the night when she and her sister had visited StarClan in the Starlight Cliff by _when you and Rainpath visited._

But what did Blackstar mean by _StarClan never knew either_? Swifttail lifted her head and asked, "StarClan never knew what?" Strange echoes bounced off the darkness, and one particular voice she recognized as Yellowfang, the honest ShadowClan and ThunderClan medicine cat. Swifttail _felt _her raspy voice trail into her ears clearly. "We, too thought it was odd… odd that only Rainpath had two powers…" Then Raggedstar's voice rang as well. "You can enter a memory of one cat, Swifttail…" A swirl of pale gray mist zigzagged through the darkness like a snake making a path of crushed sand in a desert. Finally, before a flash of moonlight blinded her eyes, the voice of Blackstar whispered softly into her ears, "Use your powers wisely, for we have given you the guidance you needed." Suddenly, Swifttail found herself lying down in the warrior's den. This had to mean something.

And she was going to find out for sure. But before she did that, there was one thing to do. She had to find Rainpath.

***

"Reedwhisker, can I go hunting alone by the ShadowClan border?" Rainpath asked innocently. The RiverClan deputy shot her a suspicious look, but replied, "Very well. Return by sunset, however." Nodding earnestly, Rainpath exited the camp. It was sunhigh, but the chilliness and the shrill touch of the wind was freezing her. Although this leaf-bare was one of the warmest, it was still cold enough to let her tremble. Sunlight barely helped the RiverClan cats to warm up, but they could manage. They were used to being wet and cold most of the time due to their experiences, but altogether, they had to beware of catching horrendous diseases such as greencough that would always lurk nearby during leaf-bare.

Each of her steps was softly placed onto the muddy ground. Rain had fallen last night after the Gathering, and the firm soil had spread into muddy, fragile earth. She used to play in the rain as a kit, but was always found and scolded continuously along with Snowheart. Soon she reached a grassier area, and pine trees shaded the grass farther away. That was ShadowClan territory. Rainpath stood near the border and crouched down, beginning to hunt. Although she was planning to hunt, she had wanted to see Swifttail. Waking up from the warrior's den, she had suddenly felt the temptation to reach the border and wait patiently for her sister. "Got it," she murmured to herself as the mouse beneath her paws went limp. Burying the small gray creature, a scent approached her. _Swifttail, _she thought, grinning. Turning around, she faced a ginger she-cat with white patches, who stood by the other side of the border.

"Wanted to see me?" Swifttail teased. Laughing, Rainpath replied, "I suppose. Did you receive dreams from StarClan? I guess you did, eh?" Looking breathlessly at her sister, Swifttail meowed, "Can't hide anything from you these days. Yup, they did. They said I have another power. A power to enter one's memory. Rainpath, can you figure out anything more about it?" Deep in thought, Rainpath answered thoughtfully, "Your power is destined to be used for us to enter Moonstream's memories, Swifttail. I know it is. We must find Moonstream…!" Eyes widening, Swifttail huffed hastily, "When? _Now?"_ Shaking her head, Rainpath replied, "No. You must learn more about this power first. You must be able to use it well. Go back to ShadowClan and try doing it on another cat. Try to get more messages from StarClan. So will I. Practice using this power. Until you can be capable of using it fully, we won't be doing this on Moonstream. Try to do it within the moon… before the next Gathering. Or before this moon's dark night. Try, Swifttail. _Try."_ Dipping her head, Swifttail raced off. Rainpath was left breathless.

_StarClan hadn't known about her power either, _Rainpath thought. _I hope she masters this skill soon… We might need it more than we think we do. _Her clear blue gaze traced through each cloud on the dark sky. Thick thunderclouds unraveled around the reddish-orange sun. Crackles sounded across the sky, and flashes emerged suddenly. A storm was coming, Rainpath observed. As rain dripped down from the skies, she suddenly felt anguished. She never thought much about her heritage— even after the visit to the Starlight Cliff. The sisters were too determined about answers. But there were more answers she needed. She had so many questions remaining inside her head. The curiosity cleared up by the journey to the cliff was merely the start of the beginning.

_Who are my parents? _That was one of the questions she didn't even dare to make theories of. What if her parents were horrible cats? Cats she hated? Cats that hated her? Cats that _died_? What if her parents were dead? She hoped not. _And what do _we_, Rainpath and Swifttail, have to do with the Power of Three? _She suddenly thought that she should visit Firestar of ThunderClan someday with Swifttail. But would they ever get the chance? Her heart felt lighter after thinking about it a bit, and she could carry her chest around more easily. Dewshine, as usual, worriedly padded up to her and asked her if she was okay. Snowheart tried to lick her wet fur warm, and she told her friend she was fine. Padding into the medicine cat's den, she allowed Mothwing to check on her, if she had a cold or not. Then she went to the apprentice's den to visit Hummingpaw and Tumblepaw, and ended up in the warrior's den, thinking even more about prophecies… messages… StarClan… flaws… the Power of Three… parents… And finally fell asleep.

Was her sister trying to figure out answers to questions as well? Did she finally learn how to use her powers? She hoped so.

* * *

**Aye, we have again learned more of Swifttail's hidden power!! :D Now my routine of updating shall continue... Onto Holly's Paths!**

**Oh, people! Take guesses on what would happen next! BECAUSE it's a FULL Swifttail chapter coming up soon!!**

**~~Rainee**


	11. Chapter 9

**WOOHOO! It's here! :D A full Swifttail chapter, plus a small little paragraph of a peep to.... evilness! :)**

**I think this is a pretty cool chapter, you? Well, READ TO SEE! R&R!!! Thanks. ;D**

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**Chapter 9**

_I wonder what Rainpath is doing right now, _thought Swifttail curiously. She lay inside the warrior's den, with Starlingfeather asleep and pressing to her side. Squeezing her eyes shut, she concentrated on Starlingfeather. _Let me enter Starlingfeather's memories… maybe memories of when I first came to the Clan? _She focused on that one memory strongly, and thought continuously, _Starlingfeather when I first entered the Clan. Starlingfeather… _When she opened her eyes, her heart soared. She had succeeded! Now she was in the nursery, and she stared as Frogkit and Starlingkit wrestled each other noisily. This time she wasn't frightened as she had been when she first entered Murkheart's memories, so she didn't scream. As Starlingkit tumbled over, a rumbling purr rose from Swifttail's throat. The black, white, and gray kit complained, "No fair! You're bigger than me, Frogkit!" Scowling, Frogkit retorted, "That's because you won't grow!" Suddenly, the familiar scent of their mother surrounded them, along with a strange, strong milk-scent with a tinge of squirrel in it.

"Murkheart?" Starlingkit lifted his small head, glancing curiously at his mother, his bright green eyes gleaming. Gently, Murkheart placed a tiny ginger shape onto the ground and gave the black-and-white kit a fond lick on the head. Quietly, the black she-cat explained, "This is Swiftkit. She is joining this den with us."Swifttail decided to stop there. She closed her eyes and thought, _Let me return now, to my own world. _When she opened her eyes, she grinned at the sight of the warriors den, and gave Starlingfeather a swift lick on the head before she gently removed her pelt from under his head, and padded out of the den.

Looking at the sky confidently, she thought, _I can do it. I know I can! Now let me try to do it far away… We might need that to do it to Moonstream. _Shutting her eyes, she centered her thoughts on Rainpath, and her memories of the Starlight Cliff. _I'll get to see that beautiful cliff again, through her memories!_ Swifttail thought smugly. When she opened her eyes, nothing changed. _Fox-dung! _Swifttail cursed silently, and glared at the ground, heaving a sigh. She attempted several more times, but it didn't work. _There must be _some _way! I have to be more concentrated. _Closing her eyes tightly, she dismissed all her other thoughts and focused deeply on the Starlight Cliff inside Rainpath's memories… Her amber gaze was released from her eyelids, and she was standing by a tall, starry cliff. _This is amazing, _she thought gleefully. Again she shut her eyes, and experimented several times. Sometimes she failed, but that was when she accidentally allowed some thoughts into her mind. When she was fully focused, she wouldn't ever fail. _I'm ready now, Rainpath. Meet me by the border._

***

Darkness dappled her pelt as she stepped forward in the dead forest. A dark brown tabby tom snickered, and growled, "The Dark Night is near… my plan will succeed… there is no flaw in this plan…!" Flaw. He kept mentioning this word, but she was helpless. She couldn't stop him. He was going to take over and nothing— simply nothing, could stop him. "Come here," the large tom snarled forcefully. The silver tabby reluctantly stumbled toward him. Sneering, he hissed, "You won't be able to stop me. You're within my paws now. You're the most convenient tool one can use…" he smiled, frightening her. "You can't stop me, Moonstream. I am becoming _you_. Tigerstar will reborn inside _you_!"

***

Swifttail purred as she touched muzzles with her sister by the border. "I'm quite ready now," she informed her. "But let me try to get both of us into a memory, too. Let's twine our tails together to do this." She closed her eyes and focused. Rainpath had told her to pick Dewshine's memories of his warrior ceremony. As she concentrated, she heard a mouse scamper across the bushes nearby. _Let me and Rainpath enter Dewshine's memories of his warrior ceremony… _The sisters opened their eyes, and viewed the RiverClan camp as Mistystar stood on a tall, damp rock. Purring in amusement, Rainpath mewed, "This is amazing! That's the Wetrock Mistystar is standing on!" As the RiverClan leader spoke the traditional words, Swifttail laughed. "Amazing, huh? Let's return now, then." _Let us return to our own world now! _A light flashed, and when they opened their eyes, Swifttail spotted the mouse she had heard. It was on RiverClan territory, and Rainpath purred and leaped, hitting the mouse with her claws.

"That means good news," Rainpath announced. Swifttail let out a snort. "What? A mouse to feed your Clan?" Grinning, Rainpath replied, "That's the first piece. The second piece of good news is that time stops when we are gone!" Her eyes widened. That was truly good— no one would notice they were missing then, because no time would pass when they spend time inside Moonstream's memories. Giving Swifttail a lick on the cheek, Rainpath nuzzled her and said goodbye. The sisters padded back to their own Clans, and Swifttail couldn't help but feel delighted. She could handle her powers now. The sun glowed reddish-orange as she raced back to camp. Before returning, she caught a lizard and a frog, and quickly returned to camp. Dropping the prey she caught on the fresh-kill pile, she also picked out a frog for herself.

Thrushpaw settled beside her gleefully. "Snowbird says because my brothers and I are doing so well, she's going to ask Russetstar if we can become warriors!" Smiling, Swifttail commented, "That is very good news." She was truly happy for her friend, but the events she was facing these days were much bigger than becoming a warrior. Soon enough, Russetstar called a Clan meeting. Swamppaw, Thrushpaw, and Sparrowpaw were bouncing up and down. Spotting Sparrowpaw, who seemed a little tense, Swifttail padded to him and gave him a reassuring lick on the ear, remembering the fox and the death of his former mentor, Toadfoot. His new mentor, Kinkfur pressed against him kindly and whispered soft, encouraging words into his ears. Sparrowpaw nodded, and seemed to relax a bit.

"ShadowClan names apprentices to show that the Clan will survive and remain strong," Russetstar began. "There are three apprentices to be named today. Swamppaw, Thrushpaw, and Sparrowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code to defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" All three apprentices chanted loudly and boldly, "I do!" Russetstar's eyes glittered. "Very well. Swamppaw, from this moment you will be known as Swampshadow. StarClan honors your courage and strength. Thrushpaw, from now on, the Clan will know you as Thrushwing. StarClan honors your certainty and energy. Sparrowpaw," Russetstar's mew sounded across the clearing. The tortoiseshell apprentice straightened himself up. "From now on, you will be known as Sparrowflight. StarClan honors your cleverness and bravery." The ShadowClan leader turned to her cats. "According to the tradition of the warrior code, these three new warriors will sit vigil until sunrise."

Swifttail's eyes sparkled, remembering her own ceremony not long ago. She was proud of the three newly-made warriors, and as the Clan chanted their name, she yowled along with them: "Swampshadow! Sparrowflight! Thrushwing!" But, unfortunately, she had much bigger things to face.

* * *

**Yay! More coolness about powers! And new warriors! How'd you like the names? I kind of liked Swampshadow, although it's pretty weird. :)**

**Omigosh! Tigerstar is so ebil! What does he plan for Moonstream in the Dark Night?**

**Review! Review! Swampshadow plushie for the best reviewer!**

**~~Rainy**


	12. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Rainpath's blue gaze gleamed as she leaped towards her sister, touching noses as all the cats of the Clans greeted each other calmly. Russetstar complained about stolen prey, narrowing her eyes at Firestar. The ginger leader shook his head and retorted, "ThunderClan would never do such injustice!" The sisters turned their eyes on the ThunderClan warriors. "Look, that's Duskpaw," Swifttail pointed out, flicking her tail at the dusky brown apprentice. His sister had apparently not attended this Gathering, for Rainpath did not see young, lively Skypaw anywhere within the cats. The ShadowClan leader just kept her eyes narrowed, and turned away. Then Firestar began a long, boring speech about cats with odd scents stepping into their territories. _Starry, _Rainpath suddenly thought. The ginger tabby tom with starry yellow eyes, Starry was a loner, but he didn't smell like one. Instead his scent was mixed with Clan scent and herbs and prey. So were his mate and kits, Poppy and Lavender, Rose, and Tansy.

"I have a plan," Rainpath crept close to her sister, whispering her words so softly that Swifttail had to press her ears half a tail-length away from her sister's mouth. "Mothwing plans to visit the Moonpool tomorrow night. I offered to accompany her there." She flicked her tail, and then continued smoothly, "Of course it's a medicine cat meeting. So you should offer Flamepelt and Littlecloud too. You will be protecting them, and I will to Mothwing and Willowshine. Then, when they receive dreams from StarClan, use your ability. Can you enter memories very far away now?" Swifttail sniffed certainly. "No where we can't go now." Rainpath grinned. That was her sister. And then, the Gathering that would only occur once a moon ended.

***

"I promise I will provide full protection to them," Rainpath vowed sincerely. Even if she was going only for the memories of Moonstream, she would still protect the medicine cats at all cost. Mistystar nodded and gave her a lick on the cheek. "I trust you, Rainpath. Now go. Did you eat those traveling herbs?" Rainpath rolled her eyes. The RiverClan leader was acting like a mother all over again! "Yes, I did," Rainpath confirmed. Dipping her head, the older she-cat mewed, "You are dismissed now. Go with Mothwing and Willowshine!" The gray-blue she-cat lifted her white chest, nodded at her leader, and stalked off.

The trip was smooth and easy. Crossing the WindClan border, they swiftly reached the Moonpool. Moonlight shimmered off the wide pool. Flamepelt, Littlecloud, and Swifttail were already there, including Kestreltail, the WindClan medicine cat, and the ThunderClan medicine cats, Leafpool and Jayfeather. Jayfeather narrowed his blue eyes when Rainpath approached him. She noticed that he seemed to be blind, but she did not say anything about it because she could tell he wasn't in a good mood. Leafpool was speaking with Littlecloud quietly. "I do not like what Russetstar is thinking of our Clan." Littlecloud narrowed his eyes and replied, "Our leader thinks her own way. Although I do believe ThunderClan did not steal prey, Russetstar cannot be stopped when she is determined and thinks she is right." Leafpool's beautiful amber eyes glittered in the starlight as she pleaded, "Please try to convince her. ThunderClan convicts no crime." The ShadowClan medicine cat nodded, looking thoughtful.

Finally, the medicine cats settled down and took a small sip of the icy, star-dappled water of the Moonpool. As soon as all the medicine cats seemed to fall asleep, Rainpath pressed close to Swifttail. "Let's go now," she breathed to her sister, her breath turning into a puff of mist in the chilly, crispy night air. Her sister nodded, and they twined their tails, closed their eyes together, and Rainpath concentrated on Swifttail hard. Suddenly, they seemed to float into the sky, with a cool breeze flapping against them rapidly, and Rainpath didn't dare open her eyes. When she heard Swifttail mew, "Open your eyes now," she quickly opened them. They were in WindClan territory— unnoticed, invisible. She knew the time back in their own world had stopped, and relaxed her tensed shoulders. They were in Moonstream's memories.

*********

Moonkit glanced up into the sky in wonder. She was a WindClan kit, and she loved WindClan. It was a perfect Clan for the cats of the Clan. What could be better than the flapping wing of the wind fluttering against one's pelt, the soft, whispering breeze, and the vast, wide, open moorland? _ThunderClan cats are mouse-brained! _Moonkit thought testily. _Why would any cat want to live under shaded trees? _She thought about ShadowClan and RiverClan. None of them were as clever as WindClan cats! Her pale, dark blue eyes glittered. Her mother, Brightmoon pressed close to her. Grinning, the young silver tabby kit faced her mother. Brightmoon purred, "You're my treasure, and so is Fernkit." Fernkit was Moonkit's sister, a small dark gray she-kit with a white-tipped tail and dark green eyes. Moonkit's mother, Brightmoon was a beautiful pale ginger tabby with big, yellow eyes.

"Your father will visit you soon!" Brightmoon announced, and Moonkit purred delightfully. Her father came every day to visit them, despite his stuffed schedule and plans of patrolling. A handsome dark silver tom with dark green eyes approached them swiftly. "My kits and Brightmoon!" the tom greeted them cheerfully. Brightmoon muzzled him warmly and meowed, "Look at how much your kits grew throughout these two moons, Wingfeather." Wingfeather nodded his head in approval and mewed, "I love them." He brushed his tail around his two kits and pushed them closer to him. Their mother pressed against him genuinely. "We're a whole family. We're together, and that's all that matters, right?" Fernkit purred, "Of course! That is all that matters." Then, the promise was made. The promise. "Dear kits," Wingfeather began. His eyes were solemn. "No matter what, all of us, us four in all, will always, always be together. Can you promise me the same?" Moonkit and Fernkit dipped their small heads eagerly and repeated the vow Wingfeather made. The dark silver tom nodded in approval. His sleek pelt shone under the sunlight. "Yes. We'll always be together."

***

The memory faded away, and Rainpath shook her head clear from her amusement. Her sister had just successfully carried both of them into Moonstream's memories. Now they just have to watch, as the memories are beginning slowly to unfold…

* * *

**Thank StarClan fanfiction's problems are finally fixed. I can put up two chapters at a time today! :)**

**Yeah, Moonkit is so sweet. Can't believe she's gotta be our villain... :(**

**~Rainy**


	13. Chapter 11

**This chapter is a little sad, but... enjoy! Please review more, everybody! I work very hard on these stories!!!**

**~~Rainy**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

_"Yes. We'll always be together." _Moonkit could still hear her father's gentle voice echo inside her wild head. _"No matter what, all of us, us four in all, will always, always be together." _The bittersweet words continued to repeat itself inside her cramped mind, and a thought trailed to Moonkit's head. _We're not together anymore, Wingfeather! _She wanted to cry. She wanted to _die_. She wanted to be _together _with Wingfeather. Brightmoon grieved for her mate, and Fernkit and Moonkit, along with their mother, sat vigil for the dark silver WindClan warrior for the whole night. Wingfeather was killed by a fox. Onestar's patrol had earlier scented one, and Moonkit's father was sent on a patrol to fight off the creature. But the fox was much bigger than they thought it was, and Breezepelt was badly injured, Wingfeather was killed. _How could this be? _Moonkit wanted to die…

Fernkit pressed close to her sister and whispered, "I miss him already." The dark gray she-kit's glittering green eyes shone with sorrow and sincerity. Speechlessly, Moonkit nodded her small silver tabby-striped head. Her sister mewed softly, "I'll go into the nursery first. Come in later!" Quietly, Moonkit padded over to the Highrock, and stared up at the starry sky, tracing her gaze along the Silverpelt. Brightmoon had told her that the Silverpelt was made of StarClan warriors, and each time a warrior joined StarClan, there would be a new star. Moonkit searched for her father's star, but couldn't find any that seemed to be her father. _Oh, Wingfeather, _she thought desperately. _You broke our promise… _A brown tabby tom padded over to her, eyes gleaming sorrowfully. It was the WindClan leader. Young Moonkit wasn't even in the mood of greeting Onestar when he approached her.

"Moonkit," Onestar began. "I know you must feel bad about Wingfeather's death. You know your apprentice ceremony is tomorrow. But if you're tired from sitting vigil last night, or if you want to extend the period of your ceremony, I will understand." Staring at the leader in bewilderment, Moonkit tried her best to purr. "That's great! I can't wait for my ceremony. Please, don't extend the time!" Onestar nodded understandingly, and ambled away, looking deep in thought. Before he lay onto his nest, he called out to Moonkit, "I'm sure you'll be a flawless warrior one day!" _Flawless, _Moonkit thought. She remembered that Wingfeather had spoke of that word before. He said it meant perfect. _"You two," Wingfeather commenced brightly, flicking his tail and purring at his two kits, "Shall become flawless warriors, loyal and strong WindClan cats!" His smile was stretched wide as Moonkit wrestled his tail. _Flawless. Moonkit quivered in determination. _I need to be strong for Wingfeather, _thought Moonkit. _I need to be flawless._

********

"From now on until you receive your warrior names, you will be known as Moonpaw and Fernpaw," Onestar meowed solemnly. He switched his gaze to scan through the crowd of warriors. "Heathertail," Onestar named clearly. "You will be mentor to Moonpaw. Pass on all the speed, courage, and strength Crowfeather had most certainly passed on to you." Crowfeather, the dark gray warrior, lifted his head, proud of his former apprentice. Then, the WindClan leader continued and announced that Fernpaw's mentor was the young warrior, Featherflight. Actually not grieving for Wingfeather for a moment, Moonpaw eagerly stepped forward to touch noses with her mentor. The light brown tabby she-cat purred, "You will become a great warrior like your father. I promise I will train you well." Grinning at her mentor's words, Moonpaw replied gleefully, "I will try my best!"

Moonpaw's silver tabby pelt glimmered under the sun vividly, and Heathertail commented, "Your pelt is like your father's— lovely silver. But you've got your mother's tabby stripes and your silver is brighter— your pelt is beautiful." She smiled. Heathertail continued: "But your eyes! They're so different and unique. Not like your mother, not like your father. Dark blue." Moonpaw was pleased, and mewed, "Thank you." But she knew she would never be as pretty as Heathertail— her mentor was a beautiful, well-mannered, gracefully-built light brown tabby she-cat, and her own heather-colored eyes were gleaming as well. She aimed to be like Heathertail. Her mentor brought her out hunting in the wide moor. The newly named apprentice crouched down, ready to chase rabbits. She had been racing with her sister every day she spent in the nursery, and always won. Fernpaw wasn't as fast or as strong as her. _I will be perfect for you, Wingfeather, _Moonpaw vowed. _I will become a flawless warrior! _Determination glittered inside her dark blue eyes, and she raced off as soon as the mouthwatering scent of rabbit slithered into her lungs up from her nose as when she tasted the air. It was a plump and slow rabbit with fading white smudges on its dirty brown pelt. As Moonpaw's nose nearly touched its fluffy tail, she pounced and killed the fat rabbit with a single blow. Her mentor caught up with her, looking pleased by her apprentice's catch.

"That is a plump rabbit indeed," she mewed. "Your first catch on your first attempt, and so big! Onestar will be very pleased. That rabbit is definitely enough to feed our elders, and more. But of course, elders are greedy," she added mischievously. "Tornear's been eating more than a badger would eat in a moon these days." Moonpaw laughed in agreement, and padded back to camp immediately after Heathertail urged her to. When every warrior saw her rabbit, they commented on its size and gave Moonpaw friendly compliments. Moonpaw would always blush in delight, happy that she had done so well on her first day. As the moon rose to the middle of the sky, her sister returned, panting. "I raced Featherflight around the borders! She won, of course. But I _did _get to see all of the territory! What did you do?" Smugly, Moonpaw replied, "I had a hunting session. I caught this rabbit, and Heathertail made me return to camp." They were in the elder's den, changing the bedding. "New apprentices do more work than old ones," an apprentice almost becoming a warrior, Sunpaw told her when she was assigned to do elder duties right away. Moonpaw flicked her tail at the huge rabbit the elders were sharing.

Fernpaw's big green eyes widened in amusement. "That's so big! You're _amazing_, Moonpaw!" Moonpaw grinned over the praises from her sister. "You're going to become a _great _warrior," Fernpaw continued brightly. _I know, _Moonpaw thought happily. _Wingfeather, _she mewed silently, looking up at the Silverpelt, searching for him. _I will be perfect. I promise. I will be the greatest warrior this lake has ever seen. Ever. It's a promise, Wingfeather. And this time, I won't break it. _

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**Such a sad chapter. Moonpaw's life is full of sadness and deaths.**

**Poor Moonpaw. And now she's going to have even worse luck. **

**And something you never would've known about...**

**~~Rainy**


	14. Chapter 12

**HEY THERE! I finally updated. I personally think I failed this chappy XD but anyways, since I haven't updated the chapters of fanfiction for such a long time, please spare my life! :) Anyways, yeah, school and all is just cool. Enjoy this chappie!!**

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**Chapter 12**

"I told Onestar about your catch," announced Heathertail the next morning as Moonpaw immediately bounded up from her sleep. "He saw it himself. He was so impressed he decided that you can go to the Gathering tonight." Moonpaw's dark blue eyes glinted with joy. Looking envious but consumed with joy, Fernpaw congratulated her, "Wow, Moonpaw. I can't believe it! You've _got _to tell me about it! Promise!" Moonpaw nodded blissfully. _I'm going to go to my first Gathering already, Wingfeather! _Moonpaw announced to her father joyfully. _My plan is going on very well so far! Some day, I might even become leader just for you, too! _She grinned. When she met her mother when she returned from a hunting patrol, she told Brightmoon about it. Her mother was delighted, and purred, "I knew you would become a talented warrior. You are amazing, Moonpaw." Proudly, Moonpaw lifted her chest high as her mother instructed her to fluff up her fur to make herself look bigger.

*******

Placing her silver paw carefully on the soft surface of the log bridge, she cautiously stepped slowly across it to reach the Gathering island. Brightmoon led her swiftly to the clearing, and by the stench of fish and frog, Moonpaw learned that ShadowClan and RiverClan had already arrived. After the WindClan cats settled, ThunderClan soon arrived. As all the cats splat up from their Clanmates, Moonpaw settled down beside a small ShadowClan apprentice. The ShadowClan tom was handsome, and his pelt was a pale gray, his paws a pitch-black. His chest was pure white, and his amber eyes were determined. He grinned and introduced himself, "Hi! My name is Shadepaw." Narrowing her eyes, Moonpaw replied curtly, "I'm Moonpaw." Smugly, Shadepaw lifted his chest. "_I _caught six frogs two days ago. That's how I got to come!" he boasted immodestly. _Mouse-brain, _Moonpaw spat silently, and shot back, "Well, I caught a rabbit as big as me on my first training session yesterday." Shadepaw didn't look impressed, and Moonpaw stalked off. She concentrated on what Onestar was telling the other Clans until the ShadowClan apprentice came again.

Shadepaw pressed closed to Moonpaw, who pulled away in disgust. "What was _that_?" she growled softly as Onestar finished his announcements. "Why can't you like me?" Shadepaw suddenly pleaded, his amber eyes gleaming with adoration that made Moonpaw back off. His black paws were trembling with emotion. "I just wanted you to think I was amazing," he murmured shyly. Flushing wildly, Moonpaw muttered, "Well, that certainly rebounded." Shifting his paws, Shadepaw pressed his gray pelt against her and begged, "Please, Moonpaw. I'm so lonely." Irked, Moonpaw shot back, "It's against the warrior code." Admiringly, Shadepaw's eyes glimmered and he mewed, "You're so perfect, Moonpaw." He spoke her name like it was something sweet as fresh-kill. "Why can't you just have a single flaw? A flaw like liking me…"

"Oh, stop it," Moonpaw pleaded desperately. She didn't know why, but emotion flowed inside her. She wanted to become a perfect warrior. How could she do so if she fell in love with Shadepaw? _But I already like him so much, _she thought, angry at herself. _This has to be a trick. He's all cocky and now he's so… _sweet_. _She turned her head away, avoiding Shadepaw's warm gaze. Suddenly, Shadepaw seemed to brighten up, and whispered, "Do you like me? Oh, Moonpaw, please, I beg you. Meet me outside the territories, Moonpaw. There is a place beyond ShadowClan territory— please meet me there two nights later, the night of the half moon. I will be waiting for you by your territory. I'll lead you to a safe place no one would know of, I promise!" He beamed and soon padded away happily as the Gathering broke up.

_Should I go? _A curious voice in Moonpaw's head sounded. Another one growled, _Of course not! That is disobeying the warrior code. _The first voice echoed dreamily. _But Shadepaw. _Moonpaw shook her head in disgust. _I can't believe I just thought that! Oh, Wingfeather, I'm so sorry. I won't go. I won't… but I want to so badly! Why does it have to be me—_ "Hello, Moonpaw? Come back down from Silverpelt!" a voice loudly called out. Moonpaw snapped out of her thoughts and glanced at where the voice came from, and faced Hivepaw, Heathertail's daughter. The light brown tabby apprentice rolled her eyes. "Finally," she purred. "Come on, Moonpaw; let's go back to camp now." Staring back at the island once more, Moonpaw ambled away thinking of one thing and one only: _I love Shadepaw. I _have _to go._

***

Moonpaw padded side-by-side with Hivepaw back to camp. Hivepaw was a pretty cat; she was a small, light brown tabby with light blue eyes and one white and one black paw. Her father was grumpy Breezepelt, who actually warmed up toward Moonpaw (she never expected him to) after Wingfeather's death. When they returned, they were greeted by Fernpaw and Brightmoon, with two hyper kits for the addition. A queen was chasing them around, scolding them angrily. "What was it like?" Fernpaw piped up loudly. "Was it exciting? Did they fight?" she batted her paws to the thin air, and started to wrestle nothing. Purring, Moonpaw replied, "Pretty boring. They didn't fight or argue," she added jokily. Fernpaw grinned and teased, "Did you see any cute toms?" Moonpaw flushed in agony and mewed sternly, "No!" Her sister jumped up in surprise and her tail drooped. "Why are you so mad about this?" Shaking her head clear, Moonpaw quickly answered, "Nothing." Fernpaw cocked her head and observed her sister's eyes, but just shrugged. Brightmoon pressed against Moonpaw. "How was the Gathering?" Flatly she meowed, "Fine." Blinking, Brightmoon returned to the nursery. All Moonpaw could think of was: _Shadepaw, Shadepaw, _and _Shadepaw_.

***

Mists of the night surrounded Moonpaw. _"Moonpaw, you can't do this," _a thick, strong voice growled with such force it sent a shiver across Moonpaw's spine. _Am I dreaming? _Moonpaw questioned herself. _But what's with this voice? _The voice continued: _"Wingfeather will be so upset with you." _She jumped up. The voice knew what she was thinking. Did the voice knew, knew that she liked Shadepaw so much? Most of all, did Wingfeather know? _"I am upset with you too." _Suddenly, Moonpaw couldn't feel her paws, and she dropped down, swallowed by a hole of darkness. "AH!" she screeched loudly. _"Help!"_ But nothing replied to her yelp, not a single cat heard her. _"Falling in love with a ShadowClan apprentice is the last thing you're supposed to do," _the voice continued sharply. _"You are supposed to be perfect." _Something seemed to reach a paw toward her consciousness, and her mind rippled in sharp pain.

"Who _are _you?!" Moonpaw screamed as deafeningly as she could. _"I am the you inside you. The _perfect _you. You are the flawed side. Allow me to take over." _Dubious about the voice's words, Moonpaw growled mutinously, "I'm myself! You can't control me; I'm going to go see Shadepaw two nights later and you can't stop me!" She struggled to keep her voice high as she shrieked out each word. _Oh no, _she thought, furious with herself. _I just said I was going to see Shadepaw. _Moonpaw shook her head continuously with all her strength, making herself dizzy. _"You will regret, Moonpaw. You cannot love him. You have to be flawless." _Irritated, Moonpaw scowled. "_Flawless_! What do you want from me?" _"All I want is for you to stop thinking about him. You have to train and become flawless."_ _Flawless, _there was the word again. Moonpaw was irritated. The voice kept mewing. _"I have plans for you, Moonpaw. You, the stream of the moon will be mine. We together will take over the Clans." W-what?_ Moonpaw thought, bewildered at the treacherous words of the strange voice.

_"You do not know what you, with such powers, can do. Moonpaw, you can beat the strongest, biggest apprentice with one single claw. You can hunt down another cat if you wish to, for your powers are too strong for other cats. Only you can do these things ordinary cats can't do. Wingfeather had been right all along and that is that _you _are perfect. Fernpaw will never be as smart, swift or strong as you. You won't need your kin. _You are special._" _Moonpaw staggered upward, feeling dilapidated. Her legs barely had any strength left. It was as if the darkness was swallowing her up along with her force. _"Moonpaw, you cannot run away from the truth. You are not destined to have a flaw. Your fate is to support me as we begin our revolution." _After those last words, all faded away in blackness.

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**I hope this chappie wasn't too choppy. I mean, okay, it's stupid how Moonpaw just falls in love with Shadepaw, but surprise, surprise. Plus, the voice in the dream is totallly lame XD**

**Well, please just spare my life friends... But you're going to get surprised by the twists I'm going to put in Moonpaw's life! :D**

**~~Rainy**


	15. Chapter 13

**mwahaha. I have finally updated! And I have ruined Moonpaw's life with this chapter! Sorry to all my reviewers for the slow update. YOU CAN ALL HAVE VIRTUAL COOKIES**

**Yay! Well, you won't get why her life is ruined. Oh wells. Anyway. Their meeting is here! PLEASE REVIEW!

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**

**Chapter 13**

Moonpaw didn't know what to do. She liked Shadepaw. She wanted to go. But she couldn't bring herself to move her paw. The air was freezing cold. It was leaf-bare, and snow drifted down from the sky. When moonhigh came it started snowing, and Moonpaw couldn't feel her paws anymore as she stepped cautiously onto the pure white snow. _This snow is whiter than Whitetail's pelt, _thought Moonpaw as she recalled the thin, warm pelt of the small white warrior. Moonpaw decided that she was going to go meet Shadepaw no matter what. _No matter what Wingfeather might think, _she thought bitterly. _No matter what that voice thinks or says. _She shuddered. Quietly she sneaked pass the only two other apprentices who were snoring away outside. Hivepaw and Fernpaw didn't budge when Moonpaw passed them, to Moonpaw's relief. The moor was all quiet except for a howling of the cool winds looming over the dead grass of leaf-bare.

She slipped away easily, for her pawsteps were soft and steady. Trees shaded her silver pelt, and when she reached the border ShadowClan and WindClan shared, she saw that Shadepaw was waiting patiently, grooming his fur quietly. The half-moon's moonshine dappled his pale gray pelt, which was covered in snow, making it glimmer in the murk. His amber eyes gleamed when he saw her coming.

"You came," he breathed, his warm breath visible in the freezing atmosphere. Shyly, Moonpaw nodded, and Shadepaw pressed his muzzle against her cheek with joy. Moonpaw flushed bright red. His grin was wide, and he nudged Moonpaw to move. Shadepaw led her through the shadows of pine trees, when Moonpaw's teeth began to chatter and she sneezed. Worriedly, he glanced at her.

"Let's don't go there tonight," Shadepaw decided, staring at Moonpaw with anxiety. "It's too cold. I'll show you that place another night." _Another night? _Moonpaw thought. She was surprised at the ecstasy that overwhelmed her when she realized something: Shadepaw wanted to meet her again. Again, she quivered in the cold. Looking concerned, Shadepaw pressed against her, and Moonpaw was surprised at how warm he was. She pressed against him as well, making the young tom beam. Moonpaw ignored it and concentrated on keeping warm. Snowflakes drifted from the dark sky.

Shadepaw broke the awkward silence. "Well, how's it going in WindClan?"

Moonpaw just shrugged. She wasn't going to make WindClan sound weak, although they were all growing thinner and thinner because of leaf-bare. "Pretty well. What about ShadowClan?" Shadepaw ignored the question and stared into her dark blue eyes.

"We're almost out of prey. An elder has died," he then meowed grimly. Moonpaw was surprised he was so honest with her. Didn't he think about his Clan? However, this made her slightly delighted. He even preferred her over his Clan? Was that possible? Could she prefer _him _over WindClan? _No, _she sighed. _That is against the warrior code… _But she wanted to break the warrior code. She already broke it by meeting Shadepaw, but she felt like breaking it thoroughly.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Moonpaw suddenly whispered softly, her silver pelt ruffled in the snowy breeze. She stared up from the crack between the pine trees, and searched for the half moon. There was no moon. The snow had clouded it entirely, and Moonpaw glared at her paws. Shadepaw blinked in wonder. He cocked his head curiously.

Glimpsing at the silver apprentice, he nipped her ear gently. "It's okay," Shadepaw mewed. "As long as we're together." His exquisite amber eyes sparkled with passion. _He really doesn't care about his Clan? _Moonpaw found herself flushing wildly, and hoped that the snow was so heavy Shadepaw couldn't see. She certainly couldn't see much. The snow was becoming a blizzard, and it swarmed. However, the pine trees did block some snow, so it was less snowy in the shadows. Moonpaw sighed.

"I have to go now. The snow is getting very heavy. You should go home too…" Glancing at the ShadowClan tom once more, she darted away fleetly, leaving paw-prints behind. She was so bewildered when she returned to camp that she accidentally bumped into Whitetail, who was on guard.

The small white warrior blinked her yellow eyes. "What? Where were you, Moonpaw?"

Caught off guard, Moonpaw quickly meowed, "I-I couldn't sleep so I slipped away from the apprentice's spot. I thought I could hunt, but while I was looking for prey, it started snowing. Now it's almost a blizzard, so I thought I should come back." She fixed her eyes on Whitetail, trying to look innocent. The white warrior seemed to have accepted her excuse.

"Okay. Next time you should tell me first, or whoever is on guard. Go back to sleep now. I might have to tell Onestar about this snowstorm…" she looked thoughtful for a moment, and then flicked her tail, dismissing Moonpaw. Immediately Moonpaw sighed in relief as soon as she was three fox-lengths away from the warrior. _That was close. _She slipped back to her nest, and trembled, snow still stuck on her pelt. How could WindClan sleep when it was getting so snowy? They slept in the open moor, and it seemed like Onestar would have to start building dens shielding the Clan from snow this leaf-bare. Irritated, Moonpaw got up and used her tail to sweep off the snow on her sleeping spot. She lay down. It was still cold, too cold for her thin fur. So she scrambled to Fernpaw and Hivepaw, who were deeply asleep, and snuggled beside them. It was slightly warmer when she swept the snow away and settled beside them.

She tried to sleep, but things other than the cold were bothering her. How could she sleep properly, when she was doing a deed that may harm her Clan by meeting Shadepaw? _But I _need _to meet him, _she suddenly thought. Was she actually in love with him? How was that possible? _I met him. I do like him. _She tried to blink herself to sleep but it was no use either. Suddenly she remembered the voice. Did that mean Wingfeather knew about her and Shadepaw? Her heart was filled with shame. _I'm _so _sorry, Wingfeather. _But she couldn't help it. The voice… what _was _it, anyway? Abruptly, she was afraid of sleeping. When she slept, she would dream. When she was awake, she had to suffer with her thoughts.

Nowhere was truly safe.


End file.
